Waldo Hunting in Downtown Petoskey
Last July, my six-and-seven-year-old cousins came to visit us here in Petoskey. As a way to keep them busy while most of the 
adults walked around and shopped downtown, we took them Waldo Hunting. We spent most of our wait before dinner going from store to store in search of the little Waldo figurine. If my sisters or I would find him first, we would make up clever little clues to help them look. We would have to look in, on, under, and over merchandise and displays. They even got to re-hide Waldo at Grandpa Shorter’s! By far the most difficult Waldo to find was in Bearcub Outfitters. He was taped to a rotating paper cube hanging from the ceiling! In the end, we found quite a few Waldos and rewarded ourselves with delicious pizza.
Now, Waldo is on the loose in Petoskey again! Sources say he and his dog, Woof, are hiding in local downtown businesses. Small and inconspicuous, he was last seen wearing jeans, a red-and-white-striped shirt and hat, glasses, and brown shoes. He has been spotted in thirty-two downtown businesses and will be around for almost all of July.
Thankfully, the Petoskey Downtown Offices has a special passport with a full list of these hiding places for Waldo hunters of all experience levels to pick up and fill out as they find him. At every business they find Waldo, hunters can get their passports signed or stamped by an employee. When the search is over, the passports can be returned to the Downtown Offices. The first 125 to collect at least fifteen stamps can get prizes as soon as they return. Those dedicated souls who find him in twenty-five or more businesses will be entered into a drawing that will take place on July 26th, the Saturday of Sidewalk Sales.
For more information about Waldo and Woof and their antics, visit https://www.petoskeydowntown.com/events/summer-events/where-s-waldo or contact Kate Manthai at (231) 348-0388. Good luck and happy hunting!
